Counting machine



1933- K. A. LEHMANN AL 1,924,794 I counrms momma r-n d June 1, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 COUNTING MACHINE Filed June 1, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 K. A. LEHMANN El AL COUNTING MACHINE Filed June 1, 1929 Aug. 29, 1933.

Aug. 29, 1933- K. A. LEHMANN El AL COUNTING MACH-[IRE Filed June 1, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 29, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COUNTING MACHINE Application June 1, 1929, Serial No. 367,680, and in Germany June 5, 1928 12 Claims.

The invention relates to a machine intended to count a predetermined number of articles or operations in which an impulse of motion is generated when the predetermined number is 5 reached in the counting operation.

While in known machines of this class the impulse of motion generated is used to trip a signal or the like, this impulse is utilized according to the invention to stop the drive of the means effecting the counting motions of the counting mechanism.

The invention further relates to the means that generate the impulse of motion, to the means for setting the number-to be counted out, and to the means which connect the counting mechanism of the machine to a printing mechanism.

In order that the invention can be more readily understood, a preferred embodiment of the same is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a front elevation of the counting machine, the cabinet being withdrawn,

Figure 2 is a corresponding end view, partly in section on line II-II of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a section on line III-III of Figure 2.

Figures 4 to 9 show details of the machine.

The machine illustrated in these drawings and to be described hereinafter in detail is intended to be used in a wholesale bakery, more particularly to count rolls to be supplied daily to the different distributing places or customers. The rolls are moved past a feeling device by means of a belt conveyer or the like and effect in this device individual impulses of motion which are introduced in the counting mechanism of the machine, whereupon the rolls drop into a basket or the like. The counting mechanism is fitted with means by which the number of rolls to be counted can be set. Upon the drive of the belt conveyer being released, the counting operation isstarted. The device releasing the drive is further so connected to the machine that the drive is stopped as soon as the number set has been reached in the counting operation.

The counting mechanism is connected to the members effecting the counting motions, of the roll conveying and feeling mechanism by two members, viz. by a shaft 1, Figures 1 and 2, that of a revolution is imparted by each passage of a roll, and by a releasing shaft 2 by which the roll conveyer is thrown in or out of operation.

As the roll conveyer and the feeling device do not constitute a subject matter of the present inactuates the counting mechanism and to which vention, these devices are not described. Fur- 7 thermore, without deviating from the essence of the invention, the present counting machine can also be employed to count other articles,

e. g. corn bags, fruits, or to count any operations,

5 which through a coupling pinion 6, Figure 3,

is in mesh with a. pinion '7 of the same diameter loosely mounted beside it on shaft 1, Figures 1 and 3. Pinion '7 is in permanent mesh with a pinion 10 of the counting member 8 of the units order of the main counting mechanism mounted on a counting shaft 9, of the machine. The main counting mechanism comprises three orders. In Figure 1 the tens and hundreds orders are illustrated in elevation, while the units order is shown in section. The counting rollers 11 of the units and tens are provided in known manner on their left-hand side with a transfer pocket 12 and on the right-hand side with a counting pinion 10. On a short shaft 13, Figures 2, 8, 9, are mounted transfer members comprising an eight-toothed pinion 14 of Maltese cross shape which cooperates with the transfer pocket 12, and a pinion 16 rigidly connected by a sleeve 15, Figure 8, with pinion 14 and in mesh with the counting pinion 10 of the next higher order. The counting motions generated in the actuating shaft 1 by the conveying and feeling device (not shown) are transmitted to the units counting member 8 of the mechanism through the pinions 5, 6, '7, 10, Figure 3. As soon as a passage from 9 to 0 takes place in the counting mechanism during the counting operation, the transfer of a tens unit takes place to the tens counting member 8 through the intermediary of the transfer pocket 12, Figure 1, and the parts 14, 15, 16, Figure 8, and, upon a passage from 9 to 0 taking place in the tens counting member 8, then in an analogous manner a hundreds unit is transferred to the hundreds counting member 8. The number of the introduced counting motions can be read off at any time from the respective counting rollers through peep holes 1'7, Figure 2.

Each counting member 8 is in connection with a setting member 18 loose on shaft 1, Figure 3, and with a controlling member 21 mounted on a shaft 19. The setting members 18 serve to set the number to be counted while the controlling members 21 effect the impulse when the number to be counted has been reached by the counting members 8. The connection between the latter members, the setting members 18 and controlling members 21 is such as to cause the controlling members 21 to be moved out of their position of rest by the adjustment of the setting members on to the number to be counted and to be returned to initial position by the subsequent counting operation, where they effect the above impulse of motion, while the settitng members remain in set position.

To this end the setting member 18, the controlling member 21, and the counting member 8 of each order are interconnected by the three parts of a differential gear in the following manner. On the left-hand side of each counting roller 11, Figure 1, is fixed a bevel wheel 22 which is permanently in mesh with a planet bevel wheel 23. The latter is mounted by means of a pin 24 on a carrier 25 loose on the counting shaft 9. On its left-hand side the carrier 25 has a toothed rim 26 in mesh with a rim 27 of the respective setting member 18. The latter are formed by display rollers 28 that can be read-off through peep holes 29, Figure 2. By a sleeve 31, Figure 1, the members 18 are rigidly connected to a pinion 32. With this pinion co-operate both a pawl 33, Figure 2, acted upon by a spring 35 and pivoted on a hand lever 34 loose on sleeve 31, and a check pawl 37 mounted on a shaft 36. The hand lever 34 can execute a limited swing motion about shaft 1. When moved in the direction of arrow 30, Figure 2, it entrains its setting pinion 32. In setting higher numbers the hand lever 34 has to be swung to and fro several times.

On its left-hand side the planet wheel 23 is in mesh with a bevel wheel 38, see Figure 1, which through a pinion 39 fixed thereon is positively connected, through the intermediary of a couple of pinions 41, 42 mounted on sleeve 31, to a toothed rim 43 to which the appurtenant controlling member 21 is connected by a hub 40. The controlling members 21 are loosely mounted on shaft 19 and fitted with a locking edge 44, Figure 2, which has a recess 45. The latter possesses a radial wall 46 and a sloped one 4'7. With each locking edge 44 and recess45 co-operates by means of a face 50 a feeling arm 49 fixed on a shaft 48 and dropping under the action of a spring 51 into recess 45 when the controlling member 21 during a counting operation revolves in clockwise direction and reaches position of rest. In this position the radial wall 46 comes to abut on a correspondingly directed locking face 52 of arm 49 whereby the controlling member 21 is locked against being moved farther in clockwise direction. When member 21 however is turned in opposite direction, for instance when set, the sloped face 4'1 lifts arm 49 out of recess 45 so that the face 50 of the arm again comes to abut on the locking edge 44. In order to assure the drop of arm 49 into its recess in rapid counting -motions of member 21, it is provided with a sloped nose 53 which co-operates with a guide lug 54 projecting into recess 45. In Figures 4 to 6 the feeling arms 49 of the hundreds, tens, and units order are illustrated in detail together with'their controlling members 21. It is to be seen therefrom that the upper portion of the feeling arms 49 and the noses 53 are of similar shape and are in alinement with one another, but that the configuration of the controlling members 21 is a different one. For, the distance of the base face 55 of the recesses 45 from shaft 19 is the same in all orders, but the diameter of the locking,

edges 44 and the distanceof the lugs 54 from shaft 19 increases stepwise toward the hundreds order. In Figure 7 which shows the hundreds controlling member 21, the lugs 54 of the units and tens order are to be seen also.

The described arrangement has for its purpose to cause the feeling comb formed by shaft 48 and the feeling arms 49 to have imparted to it a first partial motion in clockwise direction when the hundreds controlling member reaches its position of rest in a counting operation, a second partial motion when the tens controlling member thereupon arrives in position of rest, and a last partial motion when the units member 21 arrives in this position. It is this last partial' motion which constitutes the impulse that serves to shut off the drive of the conveyer.

If the controlling members 21 have been set to a number of three figures, the hundreds feeling arm 49 rests on its locking edge 44, whilst the arms 49 of the units and tens order are not in contact with their locking edges and their noses 53 are out of the path of the lugs 54 of these orders. In the counting operation in which the controlling members 21 follow the rotations of their counting members 8, as already pointed out, the guiding lugs '54 of the units and tens order turn freely past under the noses 53 of their feeling arms 49; as soon, however, as the hundreds figure of the number to be counted is reached, the feeling arm 49 of the hundreds order enters its recess 45 to such an extent that the feeling arm 49 of the tens order abutswith its face 50 on its locking edge 44. Now it is only the lug 54 of the units order which can freely move past the respective nose 53. This takes place until the tens figure of the number to be counted has been reached.- In this instant the feeling comb 48, 49 is turned clockwise by a farther angular distance, by the tens'feeling arm 49 being pulled into the respective recess 45. Now the units feeling arm 49 rests on its locking edge 44. As soon now as the units controlling member 21 again arrives in position of rest, that is as soon as, after the hundreds and tens figures of the set number have been reached, also the units figure thereof has been reached, then the feeling comb 48, 49 executes its last partial motion by the feeling arm 49 of the units order being pulled into its recess 45.

Below the counting shaft 9 is mounted a looking shaft 56, Figures 1, 2, 3, which in the range of each counting member 8 carries a rigid double locking pawl, the arms 57, 59 of which cooperate, respectively, with a rim of locking teeth 58 ofthe counting member 8, and with a locking wheel 61, Figures 1 and 3, fixed on the planet wheel carrier 25. The locking arms 57, 59 are so arranged on shaft 56, Figure 2, in the manner of a clockwork escapement, that in the one position of shaft 56 the counting" members 8 are locked and the carriers 25 released while in the other position the carriers 25 are locked and the members 8 are free. In the first case the setting members 18 are in released state, to enable setting. When setting takes place, the rotation of the members 18 is transmitted by means of the gears 2'7, 26, Figure 1, to the planet wheel carrier 25 the planet wheel 23 of which rolls on the bevel teeth 22 that remain stationary, and by means of the gears 38, 39, 41, 42, 43 transmits the rotation of the setting members 18 also to the controlling members 21. v

In this operation the rotation of the setting members 18 takes place clockwise, Figure 2, and that of the controlling members 21 counter-clockwise. The gear ratios are so determined that one revolution of the setting member 18 is corresponded to by one revolution of the appurtenant controlling member 21. At the end of the setting operation the distance existing between the radial face 46 and the locking face 52 of the respective feeling arm 49, measured clockwise, amounts to so many units as indicated by thefigure set by the appurtenant setting member 18.

Now when the locking shaft 56 is turned to such a position, to effect the counting operation, that the counting members 8 are released by the locking arms 57 but the planet wheel carriers 25 are locked by the locking arms 59, the controlling members 21 must take part in a rotation of their counting members 8 through the intermediary of the bevel wheel gear 22, Figure 1, the planet wheel 23 the pin 24 of which is stationary, and of the gears 38, 39, 41, 42, 43. It will be evident, however, that with additive rotation, that is counter-clockwise rotation, Figure 2, of the counting members 8, the rotation of the controlling members 21 takes place clockwise, that is oppositely to their above-described setting motion. The controlling members 21 that by the setting operation had been displaced out of position of rest in the counting operation are thus moved back to this position and in so doing have to pass through as many units as the setting members 18 indicate, this feature further resulting in the number to be counted and set by the setting members 18 being displayed by the counting drums 11 of the counting mechanism as soon as the controlling members 21 have reached position of rest.

The releasing shaft 2 which leads to the driving mechanism of the roll conveyer has rigidly mounted on it a releasing arm 62, Figure 2, adapted to assume two positions, viz. a lower throwout position as indicated by full lines in Figure 2, in which the roll conveyer is at rest, and an upper one indicated in Figure 2 in dotted lines, this being a throw-in position in which the roll conveyer is running and counting impulses are transmitted to shaft 1 if rolls are supplied. To a rear arm 63 fast on shaft 2 is connected a link 64 the lower end of which is pivotally connected to a three-armed lever 66, 67, 68 loose on a shaft 65. The lower arm 67 of this lever is pivotally connected by a rod 69 to a downward arm 71 of a releasing lever 72 loose on the locking shaft 56. Lever 72 can assume like the releasing arm 62 a lower throw-out position, Figure 2, and an upper throw-in position, shown in dotted lines. The locking shaft 56 has rigid on it a downward arm 73 pivotally connected by a rod 74 to a twoarmed lever 75, 76 loose on shaft 65. Arm of this lever has a bent lug 77 which under the action of a spring 78 applied to rod 74 abuts on the downward arm 67 of the three-armed lever 66-68. Spring 78 tends to hold the releasing shaft 2 together with the releasing lever 72 and the releasing shaft 56 in the throw-out position in which the counting members 8 are locked by the locking arms 57 whilst the planet wheel carriers 25 and the setting members 18 are released by their locking arms 59, to enable setting of the number to be counted.

The feeling arm 49, Figure 2, of the hundreds order has pivoted on it by a pin 79 a pawl 81 which under the action of a spring 82 abuts on a pin 83 of arm 49. With this pawl 81 co-operates the pin 84 of the releasing arm 62. When the hand lever 72 is moved to its upper, throw-in position, after the setting members 18 and controlling members 21 have been set to the number to be counted, whereby also the feeling comb 48, 49 has been lifted out of the recesses 45, then the pin 84 after first having urged forward pawl 81, comes to set on to the latter which springs back. Hereby the releasing shaft 2, locking shaft 56, and hand lever 72 are held in throw-in position. In this position the counting members 8 are released by the locking arms 57 while the setting members 18 are locked by the locking arms 59. The counting operation thus can take place in the manner described above. The upper rest face of pawl 81 is of a length such as to cause pin 84 to be released only with the last partial motion of the feeling comb 48, 49, that is when the number to be counted has been reached. In this instant the releasing shaft 2, locking shaft 56, and hand lever 72 return to throw-out position. Furthermore the driving shaft 1 is locked by the members 46, 52 looking the controlling members 21, against any transmission of further counting impulses to the counting mechanism. A new counting operation therefore cannot be started at once by shifting hand lever 72 into throw-in position. The releasing means further could not be held in throw-in position by pawl 81, since the latter is in inoperative position. As described hereinafter the printing operation is required to bring the machine into the condition which allows a new counting operation to be started.

The machine is equipped with a printing mechanism by means of which the counted num' ber and a customers number are transmitted to a voucher and a control strip. The printed voucher is delivered to the customer with the counted rolls, whilst the control strip remains in the machine.

The design of the printing mechanism corresponds to that of those used in cash registers and it need not therefore be described in detail.

The members of the printing mechanism are arranged on the left-hand side of the machine between a main frame wall 85, Figure 1, and a left-hand wall 86. Besides the date wheels and consecutive number wheels (not shown), three type wheels 87 serving to count the operation and three type wheels 88 for the customers numbers are provided. By nested tubes 89 and pinions 91, 92 the type wheels 87, 88 are in positive connection with nested tubes 93, the three outer ones of which latter carry pinions 94 in mesh with the setting members 95 of the customers numbers.v The adjustment'of the setting members 95 is made in a manner similar to that of The three inner 96, Figure 1, in mesh with the teeth 26 of the I planet wheel carriers 25, in which are in mesh also the setting members 18 as described above. The type wheels 87 thus are permanently in positive connection with the setting members 18 and have set in them always the amount to be read off from the members 18.

Below the type wheels 87, 88 are arranged the printing hammer 90, Figure 2, and the cutting mechanism 97. These mechanisms are driven from a driving shaft 98 extending the whole length of the machine on the rear side of the latter, Figure 2, and carrying on its left-hand end a hand crank 99, Figure 1. On the side turned toward the printing mechanism shaft 98 carries a cam groove disk 101, Figure 3, which effects in a manner not illustrated the drive of all parts of the printing mechanism through the intermediary of a thrust rod 102. Between the walls 3 and 4 of the machine frame are arranged on shaft 98 a series of driving and locking means which serve to mutually lock the printing mechanism and the proper counting mechanism and to return the latter to initial position.

In the plane of the three-armed lever 6668,

Figure 2, is mounted on shaft 98, Figures 2, 3

a locking disk 103 which in position of rest of shaft 98 offers to the hook-shaped arm 68, Figure 2, a recess 104 in which the hook enters upon hand lever '72 being set to throw-in position. As long as the machine thus is in thrown-in state, that is during a counting operation, the printing shaft 98 which revolves in the direction of arrow 105, Figure 2, cannot be turned. On the other hand the smooth circumferential section of locking disk 103 locks hand lever 72 against being thrown over to operative position as soon as shaft 98 has started rotating.

A shaft 106 mounted above shaft 98 has loose on it a three-armed lever 107, 108, 109 the upper arm 108 of which is connected to the feeling arm 49 of the hundreds order by a link 111. The arm 107 co-operates by a prong 112 with a'locking disk 113, Figure 3, rigid on shaft 98. As long as the feeling comb 48, 49 does not engage the recesses 45, that is, as the counting operation has not yet terminated, the prong 112 lies in the path of a lateral lug 114, Figure 2, of disk 113 and prevents rotation of shaft 98. Consequently shaft 98 is already locked previous to the commencement of a new counting operation as soon as the "controlling members 21 are moved out of position of rest by setting a number to be counted. Therefore, by the locking members 112, 114 a counting operation is enforced after the setting members 18 have been set.

Furthermore the drive of the printing mechanism is used to zeroize the counting members 8. This is made in the additive direction by rotation of the counting shaft 9, Figure 2, which in a known manner (not shown) is provided with a longitudinal groove with which in known manner co-operate spring pawls (not shown) mounted on the counting members 8. 0n the lefthand end of the counting shaft 9, Figure'l, is mounted a pinion 115 which through pinions 116, 117, Figure 2, is in mesh with. a pinion 118 rigid on shaft 106. The latter further carries a locking gear 119, Figures 2, 3, to which a rotation is imparted within a determined period of the print driving motion by means of a locking gear 121 which has a mutilated rim 'of teeth and a locking face and is mounted on shaft 98. This rotation causes zeroizing rotation of counting shaft 9 in counterclockwise direction.

As during the described operation the hand lever 72 is in throw-out position, shaft 56 has to be brought temporarily to throw-in position, to lift the locking arms 57 out of the counting members. This is effected by a cam disk 123 which co-operates with a roller 122 of the upper arm 76 of the two-armed lever 75, 76 and is mounted on shaft 98. As described above, lever 75 is positively connected to the locking shaft 56 by rod 74. Owing to the connection 77, 67

hand lever 72 and releasing shaft 2 are enabled to assume throw-out position while locking shaft 56 is tempararily thrown over while the printing mechanism is driven, and they are held in throw-out position by arm 68 and locking disk 103 co-operating therewith.

As the zeroizing of the counting members takes place in additive sense, that means as they arrive in zero position by passing through 9, the transfer wheels 14, 16, Figures 2, 8, 9, have to be lifted. To this end the shaft 13 that carries the wheels 14, 16 is mounted in a frame 125 which can swing about a shaft 124 and is connected to a lever 127 loose on shaft 106 by a rod 126. Under the influence of a spring 120 applied to rod 126 lever 127 abuts by a roller 130 on a cam disk 128 of shaft 98. This disk is so shaped that the transfer wheels 14, 16 for the duration of the zeroizing rotation of shaft 9 come out of mesh with the counting members 8. Upon frame 125 being swung about shaft 124 zero stops 129 fixed on frame 125, Figures 8, 9, enter the path of zero pins 131, Figure 9, of the counting members 8, to hold the latter in zero position. As in the zeroizing operation the planet wheel carriers 25 are locked, the setting members 18 are held in set position, whilst the controlling members 21 are moved clockwise by as many units through the planet wheels 23, Figure 1, and the gears 38, 39, 41 to 43, as the counting members 8 are moved. The amplitude of rotation, however, of the latter corresponds to the complements, completed up to 10, of the figures of the number to be counted to which the counting members 8 had been set previous to the counting operation. Therefore the controlling members 21 are brought by zeroizing the members 8 to the same position they assumed previous to the counting operation according to the set position of the members 18. At the termination of the zeroizing and printing operation thus the counting members 8 are in zero position, while the setting members 18 and the controlling members 21 are set on the number counted. This arrangement affords the advantage of the number in consideration not needing to be set anew in the setting members, when this number should be counted repeatedly in supplying another customer.

To enable the controlling members 21 to turn clockwise, the feeling arms 49, Figure 2, have to be lifted out of the recesses 45 previous to the beginning of the zeroizing operation. This is done by the aid of a roller 132 mounted on the arm 109 of the three-armed lever 107-409, upon which arm acts a cam disk 133 of the printing.

shaft 98. Finally, it is necessary still to uncouple the units counting member 8 from the driving shaft 1, as this member is in positive connection therewith by the gears 10, 7, 6, 5, Figure 3. To this end the coupling pinion 6 is swingingly mounted on pin 36, Figures 2, 3, and connected by a rod 135 influenced by a spring 134 to a lever 136 mounted on shaft 106 which lever by a roller 137 co-operates with a cam disk 138, Figure 3. rigid on shaft 98. It may be noted that in Figure 2 the levers 127, 136 and rollers 130, 137 cover each other. At the commencement of the rotation of shaft 98 roller 137 is released by cam disk 138 so that the coupling pinion 6, Figure 2, under the pull of spring 134 comes out of contact with the wheels 5 and 7 and the units counting member 8 is uncoupled from shaft 1. To recapitulate, the rotation of shaft 98 effects the impression by the set type wheels'87, 88 on the voucher and control strip, prepares zeroizing of the counting members 8 which preparation consists in throwing over the locking shaft 56, disengaging the transfer wheels 14, 16, pinion 6, and feeling comb 48, 49, effects thereupon the zeroizing itself by turning shaft 9 whereby also the controlling members 21 are returned to the set number, and, finally, returns locking shaft 56 to throw-out position and returns coupling pinion 6 and transfer wheels 14, 16 to operative position. The feeling comb remains in lifted position. With the setting members 18 in the same or in an altered set position a new counting operation can now be executed by lifting hand lever 72 into throw-in position.

It may happen that the supply of the rolls by the conveyer is interrupted, that means that the counting motions of shaft 1 are stopped before the number being counted is reached. In this case it is desirable to stop the counting operation and to print the amount reached in the counting mechanism. To this end it is necessary first to cause the releasing lever 62 to swing, in order to release the members 68, 104 that lock the print driving shaft 98. To this end the pawl 81 on which a pin 84 rests when it is in operative position,-is connected by a rod 139 to a key lever 142 mounted on a pin 141. By depressing lever 142 pawl 81 is lifted against the action of its spring 82 to release lever 62. In the release thus obtained of lever 62 and resulting in stopping the roll conveyer, shaft 56 is also thrown over to throw-out position. Now the setting members 18 can be brought to accordance with the counting members 8 by means of hand lever 34. This done, the controlling members 21 assume position of rest in which the feeling comb 48, 49 has entered the recesses 45 and thereby released the second lockage 112, 114 of the print driving shaft. The printing operation now following and caused by rotating the crank 99, Figure 1, is a normal one, but it is not the previously set number to be counted which is printed but the lower number corresponding to that reached up to that instant in'the counting mechanism.

In order to obtain a permanent count of the operation of the described machine, a pinion 143, Figures 1, 3, is fixed on the counting shaft beside the pinion 5, which pinion acts upon a counter (not shown) that registers the counting mo tions of the shaft 1.

We claim:

1. A counting machine in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches the set number to be counted, characterized by the fact that the number to be counted is set by means of a setting member which during the counting operation remains stationary.

2. In a counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches a set number to be counted, a counting member, a controlling member actuated by said counting member, a feeling comb cooperating with said controlling member, a stop connected to said feeling comb, a stop device, an

abutment on said stop device, a single manipulative means for moving said stop device and abutment from a stopping position to a non-stopping position, said stop allowing said motion with said comb in a non-releasing position, said stop then engaging with said abutment and holding said stop device in said non-stopping position until said feeling comb moves to a releasing position.

3. A machine as specified in claim 2 in which said stop is movable with respect to said feeling comb and said abutment and has a projection which engages with said abutment only when said stop device is in said non-stopping position.

4. In a counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches a set number to be counted,

a controlling member actuated by said counting mechanism, a feeling comb cooperating with said controlling member, said controlling member comprising a disk, a feeling arm on said comb, a nose on said feeling arm, a recess in said disk, a conducting lug above said recess, which lug entrains said nose when passing into the said recess.

- 5. In a counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches a set number to be counted, a controlling member actuated by said counting mechanism, a feeling comb cooperating with said controlling member, manipulative means for setting said controlling member to the number to be counted, said controlling member comprising a disk, a recess in said disk, said recess being provided with an inclined face by which said feeling comb is lifted into a motion releasing position upon said controlling disk being set to the number to be counted.

6. A counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches the set number to be counted, including a setting member, a controlling disk and a counting member, said setting member displacing said controlling disk from a position of rest during a setting operation, said controlling memher being returned to said position of rest by said counting member during a counting operation,

said setting member remaining in set position during said counting operation.

'7. A counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches the set number to be counted, including a setting member, a controlling member and a counting member, said setting member displacing said controlling member from position of rest during a setting operation, said con.- trolling member being returned to said position of rest by said counting member during a counting operation, a planetary gear connecting said three members, an escapement member brought alternately into engagement with the counting and the setting member, said escapement member locking said counting member during said setting operation and locking said setting member during said counting operation.

8. A counting machine in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches the set number to be counted, including a counting mechanism, a controlling member displaced by said counting mechanism during a counting operation, a feeling comb cooperating with said controlling mechanism, a stop device connected to said feeling comb, said stop device being swung from a throw-in to a throwout position when said number to be counted is reached, a setting member displacing said con- -trolling member during a setting operation, a

locking member for alternately locking said counting and setting members, means connecting said locking means to said stop device whereby said locking means releases said counting member and locks said setting member in the throw-in-position of said stop device and, inversely, releases said setting member and locks said counting members in the throw-out position of said stop device.

9. A machine as specified in claim 8 provided with a setting lever connected to said stop device, said locking means being positively connected to said setting lever.

10. A machine as specified in claim 1 in which is provided a lever, a pawl on said lever, ratchet teeth on said setting member, said setting memher being designed as a numeral drum, said lever being of limited amplitude and said pawl cooperating with said ratchet teeth whereby said setting member is set by said lever.

11. A counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches the set number to be counted, including a setting member, a controlling disk and a counting member, said setting member displacing said controlling disk from a position of rest during a setting operation, said controlling member being returned to said position of rest by said counting member during a counting operation, said setting member remaining in set position during said counting operation, a difierential gear including three elements, said counting member, setting member and controlling member, each being connected to one of said elements.

12. A counting mechanism in which an impulse of motion is generated when the counting mechanism reaches the set number to be counted, including a setting member, a controlling disk and a counting member, said setting member displacing said controlling disk irom a position of rest during a setting operation, said controlling member being returned to said position of rest by said counting member during a counting operation, said setting member remaining in set position during said counting operation, a differential gear including a planet bevel wheel mounted on a planet carrier, a bevel wheel rigidly connected to said counting member, a bevel wheel positively connected to said controlling member, said setting member being in mesh with said planet wheel carrier, said planet bevel wheel being in mesh with both said bevel wheel connected to said counting member and said bevel wheel connected to said controlling member.

KARL AUGUST LEIHVIANN. MAX ZAKOWSKI. 

